Chintz Loses Sheen in Dry Foam Cleaning
This report was written for the cleaner.
THE UPHOLSTERY
FIBER TYPE: Chintz
FIBER/ID METHOD: Cotton
USE & MAINTENANCE INFORMATION AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION
LITERATURE RECEIVED WITH PURCHASE: No
PROBLEM REPORTED
The upholstery has reportedly changed colors.
THE REPORT
Geographical Background Information
This free standing house is located in a residential neighborhood. The condition is of the house is very good. The maintenance is also very good.
THE CLAIM HISTORY
The claimant contracted the commissioner of this report to have his drapes and upholstery cleaned. The drapery and the upholstery are of the same material. According to the claimant both upholstery and drapery were to be ‘dry cleaned’. The commissioner reports that the drapes were cleaned using a dry solvent process and the upholstery was ‘Dry Foamed Cleaned’.
Following the cleaning the claimant reported that the upholstery had lost color and did not match the drapery.
DETAILED PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM
The upholstery and drapery have no physical defects. There are no tears or unusual spots or odors. The drapes have a sheen. The upholstery does not. Both drapes and upholstery have the same print and hues. The hue on the upholstery is not as intense as the drapes. Refer to the photograph for further detail.
The left side is the drapes. The right side is the upholstery.
ON-LOCATION FIELD TESTING
Numerous pH tests were taken using a pHep + Pen by Hanna®. This device is accurate to ± 0.1 and was calibrated with a laboratory testing solution immediately before these tests were made. All tests were made using distilled water with a pH of 7.0. The test results were as follows:
6.5 7.0 6.9 6.7 6.7 Ave. 6.76
The pH of any of the above substances if present at the time of testing would be affected by any other substance with a pH and also by dilution with the distilled-water.
Numerous moisture tests were performed using a Delmhorst Moisture Sensor. This test would indicate the presence of moisture in the area that was being tested. It is possible for water to be locked-up in salts compounds from residue from urine and other compounds long after the affected area has dried. Any recent/ previous over-wetting of the upholstery could also be found in the backing of this fabric with this device. The results of these tests revealed no moisture readings. The fabric is dry.
An ultra-violet light was shone on the upholstery. This tool draws a yellow reflection from most urine stains and a blue or lavender reflection from detergents with optical brightening agents. The result of this test revealed that there was no foreign substance in the sofa.
THE ISSUE
The question that I have been asked to address is: what has caused the contrast in color between the upholstery and the drapes?
CONDITIONS THAT CAN CAUSE THE PROBLEM
Color loss problems on Cotton Chintz can occur when:
1. bleaches, oxidizing agents or other chemical residues have been applied to the face yarn.
2. sun light or in particular ultraviolet rays from the sun affect the dye.
3. oxide of nitrogen and sulfur in the air common to the Southern California atmosphere, high efficient force air heating systems and other gas appliances react with carpet dye.
4. normal use is encountered
5. cleaned on the wet or dry side.
INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND PRACTICES
Whereas the Carpet Cleaning Industries has an Industry wide Standard called the S001-1994 CLEANING STANDARDS, the Upholstery Cleaning Industry does not have such a standard. There is a Certification for upholstery cleaning offered by the INSTITUTE of INSPECTION CLEANING & RESTORATION CERTIFICATION. (This is the same certifying body who wrote the Carpet Cleaning Standards and also certifies Senior Carpet Inspectors.)
Some of the associations affiliated with IICRC have done extensive research into the cleanability of upholstery fabric and have published a wealth of information concerning their findings. These publishing also include definitions of fabrics, definitions of cleaning methods, and procedures on how to clean various fabrics. Among these organizations is the Academy of Textile & Flooring, who is a training and research facility. This organization publishes a training manual called UPHOLSTERY & FABRIC CLEANER’S handbook. Another affiliation of cleaning firms operated world wide is the ASSOCIATION of SPECIALISTS in CLEANING & RESTORATION who publishes a cleaning guide called Ready Reference Upholstery Cleaning Guide.
According to the ASSOCIATION of SPECIALISTS in CLEANING & RESTORATION it says this about CHINTZ:
DESCRIPTION: A firm, closely woven, plain weave fabric with hard twisted warp yarns and coarser, slackly twisted filling yarns. The fabric is often printed with gay figures and large flowers on a solid, light background. It can be made from cotton, polyester, rayon, blends. The surface is glazed with a highly lustrous sheen applied by one of two methods. 1) A nondurable glaze of wax and starch is applied by the use of friction or hot calendars (rollers), or 2) A durable glaze of a urea or melamine resin can be applied and cured.
CLEANING CHARACTERISTICS: CAUTION-DRY CLEAN or WET CLEAN. Nondurable finishes will wash out in wet cleaning. Chintz with nondurable finishes should therefore be dry cleaned, although the finishes on older fabrics may also be removed in dry cleaning. These should always be pretested. Fabrics 'With durable finishes can be wet or dry cleaned, but wet cleaning is the preferred method. The finish on chintz gives some wrinkle resistance and soil and spot resistance. Sometimes, when the finish is applied too heavily, the fabric develops white streaks when bent or flexed during cleaning. This condition cannot be remedied. Other problems may occur with the dyes. The printed pat-terns may fade or rub off by crocking. Dark colors may bleed or run into the light background areas; heavy print colors must be pretested for colorfastness.
According to the UPHOLSTERY & FABRIC CLEANER’S handbook by the Academy of Textile & Flooring it says this about loss of Sheen on page 15-18:
LOSS OF SHEEN
Many fabrics you encounter in the field such as polished cotton or chintz will have a high luster or sheen. Exposure to oily soils and normal wear can reduce this effect. This sheen can also be removed or reduced by both wet and dry cleaning methods. This problem should be detected upon pre-inspection and prequalified with the customer before any attempt of cleaning especially if there has been any loss of sheen or the possibility exists of future loss.
According to the ASSOCIATION of SPECIALISTS in CLEANING & RESTORATION it says this about DRY CLEANING PROCESSES
Mechanical-This involves use of specially designed equipment for the spray application (injection) and extraction of an upholstery cleaning "dry" volatile solvent. The upholstery cleaning solvent is often formulated (or "charged") with detergent and/or finishing compounds. If you choose to dry clean latex-backed upholstery fabrics, then it is imperative to minimize fabric-solvent wetness, otherwise the backcoating may degrade.
Manual-This method involves hand application of "dry" volatile solvent, either misted on and/or worked in with absorbent white towels. The solvent formulation used is specially designed for upholstery cleaning. An alternate method of dry cleaning involves use of specially prepared chemical sponges, similar to those used in fire restoration. Another method is hand application and agitation of "dry" absorbent compound (powder-type), followed by vacuuming to re-move the cleaning compounds.
NOTE: Proper and sufficient ventilation, combined with operator use of an organic vapor respirator and hand protection, are a must when dry cleaning upholstery. Also, non-halogenated (i.e., petroleum-based) solvents, e.g., odor-less mineral spirits, are flammable and should be treated with proper caution to avoid fire hazards.
According to the ASSOCIATION of SPECIALISTS in CLEANING & RESTORATION it says this about Cleaning Methods, Wet:
WET CLEANING PROCESSES
Mechanical-This involves use of water based cleaning systems, with equipment specially designed for the application and/or extraction of the wet detergent solution. Among these are hot water extraction (steam) cleaning, shampoo (rotary brush) and foam (rotary brush). The latter two can also incorporate a wet extraction procedure, using a wet/dry vacuum or equivalent extraction unit. It is important to minimize fabric solution wetness on certain delicate or sensitive upholstery fabrics.
Manual-This method involves hand-brush application and agitation of upholstery shampoo solution, or foam only from the same shampoo solution. A wet extraction and/or subsequent vacuuming follows the manual cleaning operation. The method is sometimes referred to as "bucket and brush."
SUMMARY and DISCUSSION
The photograph speaks for itself with respect to the contrast. The "bucket and brush" method described by ASCR is the ‘Dry Foam Method". The moisture, pH, and ultraviolet tests all indicate that this procedure was done with care. The decision on whether to use the Dry Foam or Dry Solvent method often depends on the amount of soil on the upholstery fabric and the durability of the sheen. The Dry Cleaning with dry solvents is not as effective on removing soil. Therefore the Dry Foam Method is preferred in many if not most cases on cleaning Chintz.
The type of sheen on this fabric is one that is durable to Dry Solvents, but not to Dry Foam based upon the photo-graph and the back ground information given about the methods of cleaning.
Regardless of the cleaning method some color loss can also occur due to the extra wear and tear. The wear and tear issue is not a problem for the drapes. A better issue for this report would have been whether the proper communication was made to the claimant about what to expect from the cleaning.
CONCLUSION
The color loss problem is due to contrast in cleaning methods.